William m



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM M. OONNER, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOHN W. SMITH, OF SAME PLACE.

MAIL-POUCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 438,680, dated October 21, 1890.

Application filed February 24, 1890. Serial 110.341,431. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM M. CONNER, of Indianapolis, county of Marion, and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Pouches; and Ido herebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which like letters refer to like parts.

My invention relates to the construction of Inail-pouches, and has for its object to provide a strong, cheap, and at the same time a iiexible pouch that may be readily opened and closed, and will be understood from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side view of my improved pouch, the lower portion being broken off, showing it closed and locked. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the same, showing it unlocked and partly open, the ini-laps being in place. Fig. 3 is a perspective View of my pouch opened and hung up ready to receive mail. Fig. 4 isa top view of the pouch closed and locked.

In detail p represents a mail-pouch formed, preferably, of heavy buff leather, such as is generally used for this purpose. The bag is cut out on opposite sides, and gores s, preferably of calf-skin, are inserted and riveted, as shown.

fis a Hap which when the pouch is closed folds over to the opposite side, and has at one end an eye e, to which the hasp h is hinged by a closed hook h2. This hook has a proj ection p', which passes through the staple st, as shown in Fig. 4, and a notch or bend h is formed in the hook to receive the top of the staple st, which passes through long eyeleted slots in the pouch and in'laps, and is secured to the opposite side. Atthe other end of the hasp, which is also provided with a labelholder, is a slot which slips over a corresponding staple similarly secured to the bag, and a lock Z secures the parts together.

r are rings, which are attached to the inside of the inflaps in any suitable manner for hanging the pouch up to be filled. These iniiaps f are formed integral with the gores s and are narrowed toward the upper end for convenience in folding inside, and when the bag is open and these flaps are thrown out on either side they form protecting walls, facilitating the easy throwing of the mail into the bag. Vhen the bag is to be closed, these iniiaps are thrust inside and the sides folded` The hasp is then thrown over the staple, the

lock inserted and locked, and the bag is then in the form shown in Figs. 1 and 4 of the drawings. A reverse operation opens the bag for use in the position shown in Fig. 3.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is the following:

l. A mail-pouch having its sides cut away at the top and provided with gores havinginflaps connected therewith foldable upon the inside and beneath the gores, a flap connected at the top for closing over the mouth of the bag, eyeleted slots formed in the sides and top iiap of the bag, staples fastened to the back of the bag and disposed thereon, so as to pass through the slots when the bag is folded up, and a hasp and locking mechanism for securing the parts together, all combined substantially as shown and described.

2. A mail-pouch provided with side gores, inaps connected thereto, which are foldable inside when the bag is to be closed and thrown out on each side when the bag is open, rings connected to the inside of such inilaps for suspending the bag for filling, a top iiap connected with the back, eyeleted slots formed through such iiap and the sides of the bag in line with staples connected to the bag, whereby the latter may pass through the slots when the parts are folded down upon each other for closing, with means for securing the parts together and locking the bag, all combined substantially as shown and described.

3. A mail-pouch provided with side gores s, a top iiap f, inflaps f', eyeleted slots passing through such top flap and the sides of the bag, which when folded up are in line with staples st, secured to the back of the bag and passing through such slots when the bag is closed, with means for locking the parts together, all combined substantially as shown and described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 19th day of February, 1890.

VILLIAM M. CONNER.

Witnesses:

H. D. NEALY, E. B. GRIFFITH.

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